NBA Official Criticizes Charlotte

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, February 11, 2002

An NBA official criticized the Charlotte City Council's latest effort to keep the Hornets in town which requires the team to change owners in order to get a new arena.

NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik indicated Tuesday that trying to force Hornets owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge to sell could only serve to alienate other owners.

"I don't know what those people are trying to accomplish," Granik said. "It doesn't look like anything is happening there that is likely to keep the team in Charlotte.

"To come out and announce they'll build an arena only if there's new ownership, I don't see how that helps with the Board of Governors."

The board _ with one vote for each of the 29 NBA teams _ will decide in April whether to grant the Hornets permission to move to New Orleans.

Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory, who helped craft the resolution approving a $231 million arena project, said the ownership requirement is necessary to rebuild the Hornets' fan base. The private sector is providing a $100 million advance to help finance the arena.

"Based on the feedback from the private sector, this is the only way to get support from the fan base," McCrory said.

McCrory said that the NBA should not have been surprised by the reference to new ownership.

"The NBA is well aware of what we're doing," McCrory said. "The NBA has had a clear communication line with the business community in Charlotte regarding our strategy."

Charlotte chamber president Carroll Gray acknowledged the reference to new ownership wasn't cleared with the NBA.

Several NBA officials, including Granik, have said Charlotte needs an alternative ownership group available if the league rejects the Hornets' request and Shinn and Wooldridge choose to sell. So far, no such group has emerged publicly, although business leaders promise it will.